The Tombs
Type: Underground Bar/Club Access: If you know how to get in, you can get in. No cops. Location: Near the waterfront district in Portland. Ownership: Karl Magnusson (NOT KNOWN ICLY). IC knowledge 'probably the mob'. Located three blocks from the water, The Tombs is the informal name for a place that doesn't actually have a name of its own. The building is over a hundred years old (the foundations may be as much as 250 years old) and has been a warehouse, a meat-packing plant, and possibly even a smuggler's den during both the revolutionary and prohibition eras. These days, the main access is all closed off. The only two points of entrance are a loading dock and a small door, both facing an old, poorly-lit alleyway. The "main level" of the facility is about a thirt of the total footprint, and occupies the first and second stories as a single, high-ceiling area. Patterned after casual 'sports bar' establishments like Buffalo Wild Wings or Dave & Busters, this section is mostly small booths and tables, with a single long bar that runs the length of one wall. All three interior walls are covered by large flat-panel TVs, showing a number of forms of 'fringe' entertainment. While some nominally-acceptable programming is represented (including MLG StarCraft matches and even the occassional game show from Japan), most of the viewing fare begins with unsanctioned, no-rules Mixed Martial Arts fighting and quickly moves into cock-fighting, dog fights, and less savory content still. The bar area serves food as well as drinks, and age is not a concern when it comes to acquiring alcohol at the bar, Given the overall business model of the establishment, 'regulars' are often allowed to run tabs so long as they settle up at the end of the week (or even month, if they've established a good 'credit history'). Downstairs is where the real party is. Fully two-thirds of the building's massive footprint exists as a constant rave - a dance floor, DJs light show that never ends. The air is a thin haze of smoke, from machine effects to tobacco, marijuana, and other drugs. Anyone spending more than twenty to thirty minutes in the lower level will likely wind up with a contact high, and given the pounding beat and disorienting lights and motion, it is extremely easy to completely lose track of time. When combined with the food and alcohol upstairs and the extremely liberal policy regarding settling bar tabs, it's not unknown for college students or other young adults without parental supervision to spend entire weekends (or longer) in a drug-fuelled haze. The entire lower level is kept unheated, with the massive arrays of lighting and electronics providing a degree of warmth. The remainder of the lower level is the network of over-crowded storage aisles that gives the Tombs its name. Closed off except for a few access points from the dance floor, these twisty, cluttered passages are poorly-lit and noticeably a good deal colder than the main dance floor, and have been compared to burial catacombs. The tunnels are rumored to extend out farhter than the above-ground walls of the building, possibly connecting to sub-basements in the foundations of adjacent buildings, or even the city's sewers. The tunnels are also where the absolutely least wholesome of the club's activities go on. 'Officially' (ie: as far as anyone will actually admit) the only thing going on in the tunnels is drug dealing. But rumors are rumors, and as soon as they start, they start to run wild. Supposedly, anything you need, the people operating in the tunnels of the tombs can get it, from drugs to guns to arranging meets for every aspect of the 'extra-legal business community'. Certainly, a number of the dealers have connections with prostitution and organized crime, but it's doubtful that the sheer volume of criminal enterprises they're given credit for (including young girls disappearing into the sex trade) could possibly be real. *ST Notes: This is a good area to meet Black market contacts, and a possible way of forming them IC. While it is a good bed anything and everything could possibly be found in this club rolls are still needed as well as ST permission for certain items. if you have any questions please contact the room St for your venue. Category:Setting Information Category:Interesting Places